Impact
by THOSE stories
Summary: Esme almost gets hit by a car but Carlisle saves her and he gets hurt instead
1. Chapter 1

**Esme POV**

"I love you too," I called to my husband, stepping out onto the road. I was about to go out shopping with Kate, Tanya, Alice and Rosalie. I waved back.  
"Esmelookout!" he yelped suddenly, pure fear reflected on his face. He started running toward me.  
"What-" I was thrown sideway and the world went black.

"Esme please wake," somebody was urgently begging me. They sounded like they were speaking down a tunnel.  
I begrudgingly tried to force my eyes open.  
"Wake up you have to wake up," they continued.  
I finally managed it. My ears rang and everything was too bright. I looked up at Carlisle who was leaning over me.  
"Honey what's wrong?" I asked, reaching up to wipe the tears off his face.  
"Don't move," he pleaded, holding my arm still.  
"Carlisle?"  
"Are you hurt? Where are you bleeding from?" He was panicking. As he spoke I realised his hands were covered in red and we were lying in a growing puddle of blood. "Esme where are you bleeding from? I have to make it stop- I have to-"  
"It's okay, love. Just clam down," I tried to keep my own tone calm but I was too unnerved by seeing him this upset. My thoughts started to get foggy.  
"Don't go back to sleep!" he cried. "Esme!"  
I was vaguely aware there were people surrounding us.  
"You have to stay awake, I cant lose you," he was quieter now, even more fearful that before.

Suddenly he was ripped off me. Eleazar picked me up, helping me back on my feet but still supporting most of my weight.  
"Are you alright? Does anything feel broken?" he asked quietly.  
"No, I think I'm fine," I told him. "I might have knocked my head but I think that's about it."  
He looked as confused as I felt. "Come sit down." He carefully took me over to the curb and helped me sit next to Rose and Bella. They both looked shocked.  
Rosalie slid her fingers into mine.  
"Esme…Carlisle's bleeding…" Bella said quietly.  
I glanced over at him. All of a sudden in made sense; I wasn't hurt because he had taken the impact. The only knock I felt was him pushing me out of the way.

"Carlisle!" I screamed, running towards him.  
He glanced up at me and tried to say something.

Then he collapsed.


	2. Chapter 2

"You have to let me go!" I shrieked at Kate who had her arms tied around my waist, stopping me from getting to Carlisle. "You have to let go!" I clawed at her, desperate to get away.  
"Esme, you can't help him now, okay? You need to stay here with me," she reasoned calmly. She hugged me, pulling me closer to her and moving her arms up.  
I dissolved into her, sobbing uncontrollably.  
"Shh, it's okay," she rubbed my back and pushed my hair off my face. "How's your head?"  
"Okay," I whimpered, wishing it was me in Carlisle's position. "He should have just let me get hit."  
"Either way he would be a mess," she told me gently.  
I watched helplessly as the others scrambled to help my husband. There was so much blood I was dizzy; both Garrett and Eleazar were drenched in it.  
All of sudden Edward stood in front of me, blocking me so I couldn't see what was happening.  
"EDWARD MOVE!" I screamed at him. I probably would have lashed out if it wasn't for Kate.  
"No, Esme, you don't need to see this," he told me. His voice shook.  
I growled at him anyway and struggled against Kate. The only thing I was thinking about was Carlisle and I didn't care who I had to hurt to get to him.  
"Esme," she pleaded, trying to get a better grip on me.  
I snapped at her, threatening to bite if she didn't let go. When I moved to sink my teeth into her, she released me.

I managed to rush forward a few feet, only to collide with Garrett. He wrapped his arms around me, holding down my arms so there was no chance of escape.  
"Let go," I snarled, furious.  
"I can't do that; it would upset Carlisle too much."  
I knew he said it to purposefully disarm my rage but it worked and I started to lose conviction. "Can I at least see him?" I begged, whimpering.  
He gave me a tight smile and shook his head, rubbing my back when I started sobbing. "He'll be alright," he tried to assure me but it wasn't convincing. "You both have to go to hospital though."  
"Why do I have to go?" I asked hotly, my temper flaring.  
"Because you hit your head and your husband will literally kill me if you don't go."  
"I'll go with him," I tried, hoping he would cave.  
"No, you'll go with Kate."  
"I don't want to go with Kate!" I yelled at him, louder than appropriate. "You can't keep me away from my mate!" I started struggling, desperate to get my arms out from underneath his. "GARRETT GET OFF ME!"  
"Esme-"  
I sunk my teeth into his arm and he yelped, not expecting it. I seized the moment and twisted out of his arms, finally reaching Carlisle.

He was so pale and looked so vulnerable, almost angelic against the black of the tarseal if he hadn't of been cover in red.  
"Carlisle," I cried quietly, pushing his hair off his face. "You have to wake up sweetie."  
He was terrifyingly still and very, very cold.  
I didn't know how to touch him without hurting him. "Please," I begged him. "You should have just let me get hit and then you wouldn't be in this mess…" It was pointless; I knew he could hear me, but it was somehow comforting being able to talk to him, like maybe if I said enough he might wake up. "You need to wake up - I can't run a coven- I can't do anything without you- you have to wake up- I'm sorry I should have looked it was my fault I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry," I repeated myself over and over again, becoming more and more frantic. I tried to wipe the tears off my face but they were quickly replaced. "I love you…"  
I started sobbing when I realised this was the first time I had said that and he hadn't said it back. I tried to force the thought from my mind but I couldn't: _What if he never said it again_?

"It's not working…" Eleazar whispered to Tanya.  
I knew I was supposed to hear but I couldn't stop myself. "It has to work- what's not working?"  
They ignored me.  
"I know," she whispered back, quickly wiping a few tears off her own face.

My vision got hot and I couldn't see.

We were going to lose him.

We couldn't.

Not Carlisle.

Not my Carlisle.

I couldn't breathe; it felt like someone had crushed all the air out of my body, squeezing my lungs. That was wrong. Squeezing my heart. My chest hurt that much from sobbing it was as though it had burst anyway.  
Bile rushed up my throat. I rushed away from him to be sick. Someone was hugging me but I didn't know who; the world was under some thick haze. My ears rang to the point I couldn't hear.  
He couldn't die. I needed him more than anything. Our coven needed him. In a way, everyone did.

I was shaking so badly I could hardly stumble back to him and collapse at his side.  
"You can't die Carlisle," I whispered through my tears. "You can't-" I glanced up and realised everyone was still, no longer rushing around trying to help. That was good, right? That meant he was stable. That he would live.

Realisation hit me when I glanced up at Tanya's face. The other coven leader, the other one I had never seen cry before, had tears running down her face, knowing something I didn't.  
They weren't standing back because he was okay.  
They were standing back because they had given up; they couldn't do anymore.

Time stood still and I went numb.

I refused to let go of his hand when the paramedics tried to pull me away. I couldn't leave him. Not if this was going to be the last time I would see him.  
"Esme you have to let go," Garrett whispered. The air was so still his words cut like a knife; not even the birds were singing. He was crying too, taking my hand and slowly making me uncurl my fingers. "You need to let go…"  
Suddenly I realised he wasn't talking about his hand. He was talking about Carlisle in general.  
"NO!" I screamed at him, rushing back to hold onto my husband as if by some miracle I could make him wake up again.

"Sorry sweetheart," a gruff voice said. A paramedic. He grabbed my wrist.  
At first I thought he was talking about Carlisle but then he injected me with something. The world went black.

**A/N: Just so you know this isn't the end…**


	3. Chapter 3

My eyes stung as I forced them open, the light too white and harsh. My head felt fuzzy and I couldn't think straight or remember where I was. There was a loud humming in the air, which I soon realised was just ringing in my ears. My entire body ached as though I had pulled every single muscle at the same time.  
"How's your head?" Alistair asked, raising his eyebrows. He stood leaning against the door frame with his arms folded.  
I reached up and pushed my hair off my face, glaring at him.  
"Come on, I'm serious." He came over and awkwardly sat on the edge of the bed. "Apparently you took a really hard hit."  
"…Hit?" I asked, incredulous. Sudden it came back to me in a rush. "Carlisle!" I jumped up and made for the door, not knowing where he was but determined to find him. The room spun and I lost my balance.  
Alistair caught me, making me sit down again. "He's fine, Esme. Well not fine, but…surviving," he explained softly, rubbing the tops of my arms.  
"I have to- to- I have to see him," I begged frantically, struggling against him.  
"I'll take you to him, but I need you to calm down first, okay?"  
"Now," I demanded, vaguely aware I was acting like a child but I didn't care.  
"Calm down."  
"I CANT CALM DOWN!" I screamed at him.  
He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, biting his lip. "I can't take you in there while you're not being rational."  
"You have to let me," I sobbed, not having the strength to fight him anymore; my limbs felt as though they were full of led.  
"Look, if I take you in there like this, you'll scare the crap out of him and he doesn't need that right now."  
I took a deep breath, desperately trying to calm down enough for Alistair to cave. "Please, Alistair…you can't- you can't- you can't-" I lost control again. "I-I have to see him," I cried, trying to keep the tears off my face. It proved impossible.  
He gave me a tight smile but his eyes were soft. "Okay, but please, please try not to panic, alright?"  
I nodded, squirming with anticipation.  
"Come on then." He took my hand and led me toward the door. "Can you walk? You're not dizzy?"  
"I'm fine," I assured him but my voice shook.  
He nodded distractedly and took me down the hallway.  
"Alistair what day is it?" I asked, suddenly realising I didn't know.  
"It's only Saturday," he chuckled. "They only put you out overnight. Just long enough to get you away from Carlisle so they could help him." He stopped outside a door and squeezed my shoulder.

"Carlisle…" I whimpered, swallowing hard so I didn't cry as I reached toward him. I didn't know what else to say.  
He glanced up at me and tried to smile but didn't quite manage it, biting his lip instead. His jeans were still soaked with blood although I couldn't see where he was actually hurt.  
"I-I'm so sorry, honey- I should have looked- you should have just let me get hit and then you wouldn't be in this mess…" I burst into tears, over powered with guilt and worry. "I'm so sorry…" I couldn't even hug him; I couldn't touch him without hurting him.  
"Shh, it's not your fault, love." He twisted a bit, sitting up so he could put his arms around me and rub my back. "It's okay-"  
"It's not okay! It's my fault because if I had of looked then you wouldn't be hurt- I could have killed you-" Even though I was crying hysterically he still managed to interrupt me.  
He sat on the edge of the bed, holding my face in his hands so I couldn't look away from him. "Esme listen to me. It is in no way your fault. There was nothing you could have done to stop it. And I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you, okay?" He kissed me lightly. "I love you…"  
"I love you too," I sniffed, wiping my face dry. I slid my arms around his waist, squeezing him as hard as I dared. He winced and I realised I'd hurt him so I loosened my grip a bit.  
He gave me an apologetic smile.  
"You're hand…" I murmured, carefully moving it to where I could see it. It was bandaged tightly although I could see his fingers were blue with bruising. "Is it broken?"  
He nodded, pulling his sleeve over to cover it. "My wrist is, but it doesn't hurt that much."  
I ran my hand down his side, barely touching him.  
He flinched anyway, drawing a sharp intake of breath before quickly pulling my hand away. "I-I broke a few ribs too," he told me guiltily.  
"Anything else?" I asked, trying not to cry again. I stroked the side of his face with my thumb, not sure where else I could touch him where it wouldn't hurt.  
"Um…" he glanced down before cautiously pulling up the leg of his jeans just enough so I could see the bottom of something metal; a brace of some description. "Just that and a couple of scratches…"  
I sighed in relief knowing it wasn't anything life threatening, despite how painful it may be.  
"Are you okay?" he asked, reaching up with his good hand to tuck my hair behind my ear.  
"Yes, thanks to you." I smiled and kissed him gently.  
He smiled too and lent against me, hugging me again.

"Oh thank god you're here," Tanya muttered to me as she came in the door. She gave Carlisle a teasing look and he shyly smiled at her. "This one was very, um, upset that he wasn't allowed to see you." This time when she glanced at him she looked more worried. "Shouldn't you be lying down? I mean the doctor probably isn't going to be very happy…"  
He shook his head, almost fearfully.  
She sighed before rubbing his shoulder. "You need to tell her that it hurts. Maybe they can give you something for it…"  
"What hurts?" I asked protectively.  
"He shattered four ribs," she told me, seeming surprised I didn't know.  
He looked away, refusing to meet my eye.  
"You didn't tell me that, sweetie," I scolded lightly, brushing his hair off his face and moving closer to him. "Is there anything else I should know about? Where did all the blood come from?" I asked, most to Tanya because I knew he wouldn't tell me.  
"Sorry, Carlisle, but she has a right to know," she told him quietly.  
He nodded but didn't look up.  
"Well…he has a few quite deep cuts from the glass of the windshield, which is where the blood was from, but aside from that he has severe concussion, one of the bones in his wrists are broken but the doctor said it's only cracked so it should heal quickly, and he snapped a bone in his leg which they've given him a brace for because they were scared that it would shift if he tried to stand up. They've also made him take a lot of pain medication- morphine I think-" She stopped talking when he burst into tears and squeezed his hand in comfort. "Which is the cause of this," she continued.  
"The morphine?" I clarified, trying to calm him down a bit.  
She nodded. "It screws up vampire's heads a bit… we're not actually supposed to take it but he's allergic to everything else so there was no alternative."  
Within a few minutes he was calm again, although I could tell he was still on edge.  
We all looked up when Garrett came in. He immediately went to put his arms around my husband.  
"Don't touch him," Tanya snapped, jumping up to get between them.  
He stopped instantly, folding his arms and looking at the floor. "Sorry," he mumbled, sounding close to tears himself.  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be harsh with you, just be careful with him, that's all," she told him, rubbing his back.  
He nodded but didn't move, either out of fear of disobeying his coven leader or hurting Carlisle, I wasn't sure which.  
Beside me Carlisle fidgeted. "He can hug me, it's okay," he assured her, reaching out to Garrett.  
He stepped forward, hugging him but looking very worried about hurting him. He moved away again as a nurse came in.

"Lie down, Cullen," the women in uniform growled.  
Carlisle looked up at me panicked. "I-I-I d-don't want t-to…" he stammered, leaning against my side and cuddling into me.  
I kissed the top of his head and rubbed his back. "It's okay," I told him gently. When I turned to the nurse I was nowhere near as friendly. "He cant. It hurts too much," I snapped at her, putting my arm around him.  
She rolled her eyes. "I think we know what's best for him," she replied sarcastically. "Lie down." She pushed him back and he hissed in pain.  
"Don't touch him!" I shrieked, struggling to keep my voice at a reasonable volume.  
She glared at me. I glared back. "It's not optional. Doctor's orders," she smirked, folding her arms. "Of course we could just stop your medication?"  
"You can't do that legally!" I shouted, not caring anymore.  
"Who are they going to believe? A trained professional or a couple of clueless vampires?" She looked pleased with herself.  
There was no other option. He had to do it.  
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," I told him tearfully.  
"I-it's okay," he mumbled, shifting back like she wanted him to.  
I moved back as well so he could lie with his head on my lap. He curled up against me, whimpered and struggling not to cry. He wrapped his uninjured arm around himself, being careful not to touch his side.  
"Shh, I'm sorry. I know it hurts, honey," I murmured to him, twisting my fingers through his and squeezing his hand.  
"H-how's your head?" he asked quietly.  
"It's okay, love. I'm completely fine, don't worry about." I felt helpless, not being able to make him feel any better. "Just try and relax, sweetie. Are you tired?"  
His grip around my hand tightened and he became tense. "No." It was obviously a lie.  
"He didn't sleep at all last night," Tanya told me before turning to him. "And you've had morphine, so surely you must be."  
"I'm not tired," he argued, still holding onto me.  
"Esme is not going to disappear, Carlisle," she chuckled, shaking her head at him.  
"Aww, is that what you're worried about?" I chided gently, kissing the back of our hands.  
He nodded, sort of shrinking into me.  
"It's okay. I won't go anywhere, I promise," I assured him, pushing his hair off his face. "I'll stay right here the whole time."  
"…Okay," he mumbled, leaning into my touch.  
"Will you try and go to sleep?"  
"Yes," he agreed unsurely, glancing up at me.  
"I promise, Carlisle." I leant forward, kissing him properly. He still seemed anxious but it settled him a bit.

Despite the fact that he was exhausted, it was still me that fell asleep first. 


	4. Chapter 4

Carlisle kept glancing at the harsh nurse from the night before, fidgeting nervously as he sat on the edge of the bed. He had bruising on the side of his face this morning and he moved like everything hurt.  
She glared at him, but didn't dare protest to anything the doctor was doing. The other women was kinder, full of warm smiles and encouragement, although I couldn't help the stab of jealousy that hit me when I realised her interest wasn't fully professional. She checked him over, her hands lingering over him longer than they should have.  
He watched her carefully, leaning away slightly when she tried to touch him unnecessarily.  
She chuckled at his reluctance, shaking her head. "Come on, now. I'm not hurting you, I'm just making sure you're okay." She held her hand against the side of his face.  
I restrained from growling at her, hoping she could feel the waves of intense hatred I was sending her way. She was pretty too, I realised with regret, hoping Carlisle wouldn't think so. _What is wrong with you?_ I scolded myself. _She's a doctor; she's only doing her job._  
"I'm _fine_," he told her curtly, pushing her hand away.  
Her smile faded a little. "You will have to stay here another night, but after that you'll be free to go home, I guess…" She seemed regretful about the last part.  
I glared at her back, hating every second she was touching him.  
"Good," he smiled up at her.  
She faltered, momentarily flustered.  
"I could probably go today. I mean, it's not life threatening or anything," he continued, not seeming to notice her expression darken.  
"What's got you so eager to leave us, Carlisle?" she asked politely. I noticed her using his first name, unlike any of the other staff here, and felt it must have been intentional. She moved slightly, putting herself between me and him.  
I bit back a hiss.  
"It's just not necessary, that's all."  
She was smiling again. "Well, you cant leave if yet; we don't know if you can even stand up, let alone walk. Maybe another day of rest would do you good-"  
She stopped talking when he slid onto the ground, abruptly standing. He winced a little as he put his weight on his bad leg but otherwise seemed okay. He took a few steps forward and would have appeared quite confident about it had I not caught the anxious expression on his face. "See? I can move fine."  
She sighed. "Maybe, but you're still going to have to use crutches-"  
He shook his head. "I cant. I have to go to work."  
"No, he won't be going to work at all until he's completely better," I interrupted, raising my eyebrows at him.  
"Esme-" he protested.  
"_No_, Carlisle," I laughed. "You just got hit by a car and we all thought that you might die. There's no way I'm giving any opportunity to spend time with you, not after that. You'll be lucky if you're allowed to go back at all; I'm sure Edward and Alice will be pretty clingy as well."  
He chuckled, trying not to smile but not being able to stop it. "God, I love you." He stepped forward again and kissed me.  
Unable to help myself, I couldn't resist an opportunity to flaunt the fact that he was _my_ Carlisle in front of the doctor. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.  
It worked. She cleared her throat but neither of us pulled away immediately. "You're obviously quite capable on your own. I'll sign the papers and you may leave as soon as you're ready, Mr Cullen," she told him, a sharp edge to her voice.  
"Thank you." He smiled at her anyway. Once she was gone his arms were around me again. "I think I like jealous Esme."  
"You caught that, did you?" I giggled.  
"Of course." He kissed my forehead before pulling back. "Shall we be going?"  
"Yes, but I think you need to slow down a bit," I frowned when he moved too quickly.  
"I've that many different kinds of medication inside of me right now I'm not feeling anything really," he laughed. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine."  
"That's exactly why I'm worried. They're going to wear off, Carlisle, and then you'll be hurting again," I pleaded with him.  
At the tone of my voice he immediately moved more carefully and even though I knew he was only humouring me, at least he was endangering himself anymore.

By the time we sat in the plane I could see Carlisle was exhausted, although he denied it and insisted he was okay every time I asked. I slid my fingers through his and squeezed his hand.  
"…How's your head?" he asked, glancing up at me.  
"It's fine. The same as it was ten minutes ago," I teased, reaching over and brushing his hair off his face.  
He almost managed to smile at me.  
"Come here, you." I wrapped my arms around him, being careful not to touch anywhere he was hurt.  
He lent his head on my shoulder, craving the comfort.  
"Is it wearing off, honey?" I asked him, gently pulling him closer to me.  
He nodded hesitantly. "I'll live…"  
"Try and get some sleep. We'll be home soon." I kissed the top of his head, rubbing my hand up and down his side.  
He eventually did fall asleep and I must have too, because it was his movement that woke me up. He pulled away from me and sat bolt upright, biting down on his lip as the plane shuddered with turbulence. He cursed lowly under his breath before offering me an apologetic smile. The next wave of movement was stronger than the last, and a look of pain flashed across his face every time we hit a bump.  
I couldn't do anything but hold his hand and pray that it would be over soon.  
It wasn't long before he nervously pressed his fingers over his mouth, the mix of morphine and motion making him nauseous. He stood suddenly – faster than he should have – and tried to move toward the bathroom but a flight attendant stopped him.  
"Sir, you need to stay in your seat," she instructed.  
He looked at her pleadingly, pressing his hand over his mouth; the universal sign for 'I'm going to be sick'.  
She quickly got out of the way.  
He bolted.  
When I tried to get up to follow him she shook her head at me. "There is no need for you to be up as well. Stay seated."  
"But-" I protested, glancing behind her to see if I could see him.  
"Airline policy. I'm sorry."  
As she walked away I glared at her back, anxiously tapping my fingers against my leg. It seemed like an eternity before Carlisle came back. Before I could even open my mouth he interrupted me.  
"Are you okay?"  
"Am I okay?" I repeated, amazed that that was what he was concerned about.  
He nodded wearily. "You're really pale…"  
"I'm pale," I challenged gently. "I think you need to look in a mirror." I grabbed his hand, pulling him toward me. "Sit down. You're as white as a sheet." I wrapped my arms around him, feeling a lot happier once he was close to me again.  
He relaxed into me and I rubbed my hand up and down his back.  
"I'm sorry, honey," I told him. "She wouldn't let me go with you."  
He kissed the base of my neck. "It's fine, Esme. To be honest I'm kind of glad…"  
"Did it hurt too much? I mean since you're all broken and everything?" I squeezed him a little, desperately wishing I could hug him tightly but knowing it would be agony if I did.  
He shook his head, but I suspected otherwise.  
"I never got to thank you, either," I murmured as he wrapped his arms around me.  
"For what?" he mumbled, his tiredness coming through in his voice.  
"For saving me, silly. If it wasn't for you I could be dead right now. _You _could be dead right now."  
"…It was for selfish reasons really…If I didn't have you then I'd have nothing to live for…seeing you hurt would hurt more than being hurt myself, so…" He became quieter toward the end.  
"Selfish indeed," I chided, shaking my head at him. "You saved me. That's that." I kissed him, never wanting to let him out of my sight ever again.  
He shifted uncomfortably as another jolt went through the plane.  
"Let's just get you home, sweetie."


	5. Chapter 5

**Esme POV**

Having Carlisle home all day with me was wonderful, better than anything I could have wished for. What wasn't so great was that he loathed every second he wasn't able to be doing something productive. But still this had a plus side; because he couldn't work, he'd become infatuated with my blueprints, more often than not drawing them up with me.

"Why do we not build these?" he asked me, pinning another piece of paper to the board in order to finish the plan.  
I rolled my eyes. "Because, Carlisle, then every house on the block would have been planned by me," I teased.  
"And is that a bad thing?" He lent across the table to kiss me. "The locals should think themselves very lucky."  
"Why? Because their roofs collapse while they're sleeping?" I giggled, catching his hand. I couldn't help but frown when my fingers came in contact with the bandage rather than his skin.  
"I'm sure their roofs would be entirely stable." He knotted his fingers through mine anyway, after seeing my expression, and squeezed my hand.  
"Oh? Then would their walls cave in?"  
"The walls would withstand a hurricane, my love."  
I sighed to smother a laugh. "Okay, now you're teasing me."  
"Not teasing, more…more just trying to get on your good side." He grinned at me from across the table.  
"Buttering me up, huh?" I chuckled, standing and walking around so I was directly in front of him.  
"Yes." He didn't even have it in him to look guilty.  
"So you can…What? Surely this isn't all to get me in the bed room, Carlisle Cullen." I did my best to pretend I was horrified.  
Amusement flashed across his face. "If that's what it will take." He caught my waist, pulling me closer.  
"You're going to tell me what you're doing then?" I ran my fingers through his hair, shifting it off his face.  
"Am I not allowed to love my wife?" he teased, taking my hand again and kissing the back of it.  
"Am I not allowed to be suspicious when I know my husband is up to something?" I tried to match his tone but couldn't keep from laughing, making him smile as well.  
"Your husband always listens to his wife, you should know that by now."  
I cupped his face in my hands, pressing my lips against his. "And what is my husband up to? Trying to leave me for work?" I guessed.  
"Maybe?"  
"Well then, your loving wife says no." I kissed his forehead before walking away, chuckling to myself.  
"Damn," he cursed under his breath, still teasing me.  
"Are you coming or not?" I called from down the hallway.  
"Coming where?" he asked, confused.  
"To the kitchen. You seem to have become my permanent shadow lately." I bit my lip, trying to smother any laughter that threatened to burst out of me.  
He appeared seconds later. "Do I really follow you that much?" he challenged.  
"I'm pretty sure you came gardening with me yesterday, and I know you hate that." I slid my arms around his middle, still a little scared to squeeze him but hugging seemed okay. "I don't mind though. I like it."  
"It's going to be very strange when I go back to work. I mean, not being able to be near you all the time. I'm so used to it now," he admitted.  
"Well, maybe I'll build us a house right next door to the hospital. You know, since you think I'm such a great architect and everything."  
"Then I wouldn't have to call you when I was on lunch break. I could just come and see you."  
"That would be nice. I wouldn't be able to get up to any mischief either, seeming as you would always be able to keep an eye on me."  
"And what mischief do you get up to, Mrs Platt?" I knew it was taking every bit of self-control he possessed not to laugh now.  
"More than you can dream about, Dr Cullen."  
He smiled and I wished I could know what he was thinking. As he leant down to kiss me, Emmett burst in the door, home from school. "Why does he always do that?" Carlisle whined, his head coming to rest on my shoulder.  
"You love me really, Carlisle," he laughed.  
My husband muttered something under his breath too quietly for me to catch, but Edward snickered as he followed his brother in. "Carlisle," he manage to scold, acting horrified.  
I watched the pair of the curiously.  
"Don't worry, Esme, it was G rated," my son assured me, grinning. "Hey- but that wasn't," he grumbled, spinning around to glare at Carlisle who smiled sheepishly in return.  
He managed to appear semi-innocent wile I tried not to laugh.  
"I expected that from Rosalie or Emmet, but not from you," he continued.  
He shrugged. "I told you I was bored."  
I just rolled my eyes, now even more curious about his thoughts. _At least he was smiling again._

After a while I could tell that having the kids home was grating on Carlisle's nerves. Usually it would have been fine; he loved them, but in the state he was in he had absolutely no way to keep them under control, and they were all exploiting it to their full advantage. Trees were ripped from the roots, rocks were smashed, brothers and sisters were made enemies and the house was slowly being destroyed.  
"Don't worry about them, honey," I soothed, running my hand up and down his back as we stood on the deck and watched the destruction.  
His eyes were trained on Emmett, the main cause of the problems. "I am going to kill him," he whispered. Studying his face, I struggled to tell if he was angry or hurt, but he didn't speak with much venom.  
"Everything will be okay, Carlisle," Alice told him happily, skipping up beside us and sliding her hand into his. She too winced on touching the bandage, just as I had. Ever since we had come home Edward and Alice had been almost permanently attached to Carlisle at every opportunity they got, but he didn't seem to mind that at all. Alice especially seemed dependant on being close to him, while Edward coped until he was out of range to hear Carlisle's thoughts.  
"He's out of control. I thought I raised him better than that," he continued softly, speaking to himself rather than to us.  
"That's just how Emmett is, love. He doesn't think first." I leant my head on his shoulder and he kissed my hair.  
"I know, it just…stresses me out," he admitted, wincing as another tree fell. "Emmett," he warned. "_Don't."_  
He didn't heed his warning, springing out of the forest grinning widely. "You don't want to play, Carlisle?"  
"Stop it," he warned.  
"That's enough," I agreed, wrapping my arm around Carlisle's waist in case he took it upon himself to jump off the deck.  
"Loosen up," Emmett teased. "Why are you so highly strung?"  
"Because we're supposed to be living inconspicuously, and you are drawing attention to us by destroying half the forest," he snapped.  
"Stop it, Em," Alice scolded, standing with her hands on her hips to make herself as intimidating as someone with her stature could manage.  
"Don't exaggerate, Carlisle. It's more like a third of the forest." His smile widened, pleased he was getting a bite out of my husband. A wave of calm washed over us and I glanced back to smile at Jasper.  
"He's had enough, Emmett. Don't push him," I growled, angry that he was purposefully trying to upset my mate and enjoying the process.  
He shrugged nonchalantly. "What's a few trees? They can use them as firewood or something. What's the big deal?"  
"I happen to like this way of life, Emmett, and you are endangering both it and my family, so I suggest that you stop this now." Carlisle kept his voice even, but I could tell it wouldn't be long until my husband's perfect temper snapped.  
"What are you doing to do? _Punish_ me?" he taunted.  
He growled at him. "Rosalie, control your mate, please?"  
"It's alright, Carlisle, we'll find a way around it," I murmured, praying he wouldn't try anything with Emmett. I trusted him not to hurt him, we all knew he would never do anything like that, but I didn't trust that he wouldn't hurt himself.  
She just rolled her eyes and I immediately knew he'd made a mistake asking her; they'd never had a close relationship, and for some reason it had worsened after that accident. After our coven discovered that their leader wasn't invincible. "You're in charge of us. You do something about it."  
"I cant do this," Carlisle whispered to me, fear leaking into his voice.  
"Everything will be fine," Alice assured him, but she caught my eye and glanced at Emmett, and then the trees indicating otherwise. Unfortunately, Carlisle caught it to.  
"Stop it, Emmett," he hissed, trying to mask his anxiety as anger.  
"You don't have it in you to punish me, Carlisle. We all know that," he announced raucously. "Anyway, you love me. You have to."  
"I might love you, but I certainly don't love you at this point in time."  
"That doesn't even work. You cant love someone and not like them."  
Just as I worried he would, Carlisle jumped down onto the grass, coming face to face with Emmett. Although he didn't so much as flinch, the sharp click his brace gave confirmed that he'd put too much pressure on his bad leg.  
Emmett jumped back a few meters, mocking him.  
Carlisle gritted his teeth, stalking forward. "You are endangering this coven, and if you continue to do so I have no problem in removing you from it until you can control yourself."  
I knew he was bluffing; he couldn't stand to be separated from a member of our family for too long, but I hoped Emmett wouldn't realise this.  
"Em, stop," Rosalie told him suddenly, grabbing her husband's arm and pulling him away, glaring at Carlisle. "You wouldn't…"  
"Try it again and see what happens," he suggested.  
Much to everyone's relief, Rosalie wasn't game enough to try it. The entire coven fell silent and Carlisle didn't move.  
"I think there might be a game on TV, Emmett," Jasper said slowly after a nudge from Edward.  
Emmett let out a whop and charged into the house, the other two following him in.  
Alice flitted onto the grass next to Rosalie, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the garage, burbling something shopping related.  
Carlisle sighed and hung his head, studying the grass, not even glancing up as I slowly approached him. "I shouldn't have done that," he mumbled when I put my hand on his shoulder.  
"Emmett's fine, love. Everyone is fine. The only person hurt is you," I assured him. "Did you worsen this? I heard it crunch." I touched his leg and he quickly shifted him weight, only just realising he was putting pressure on it.  
"It's alright…it doesn't hurt."  
Lie or not, I accepted his answer, wrapping my arms around his waist and kissing his cheek. "Everything is fine, sweetheart. Come inside now, okay?"  
"I cant protect them…and they're…they're destroying themselves. And our property," he added as something inside smashed.  
Not sure how to comfort him, I just pulled him closer, closing the space between us.  
"It's alright, Carlisle, I'll kick their asses," a voice said from just inside the tree line. I glanced up in time to see Siobhan emerge, grinning.  
Carlisle groaned, but couldn't resist smiling, his eyes lighting up as he saw her. "Alice sent you," he guessed.  
"Of course she did. Who else would I walk across the bloody country for other than your pushy little pixie?" she teased, rolling her eyes when he hugged her. "Can I even touch you without hurting you?"  
"I'm fine," he argued.  
"The meltdown you just had assures me you are not, liar," she teased.  
"It was hardly a meltdown," he grumbled, starting to laugh now.  
She pushed him away again. "Now, do as your wife said and get inside before I _have_ to hurt you."  
"But-"  
"Go."  
"Fine." Begrudgingly, he did as he was told.  
"You're got your hands full," she chuckled to me as we watched him retreat.  
"I know," I giggled. "They pretty full on."  
She smirked, taking my hand and leading me toward the house. "I wasn't talking about your children. I meant Carlisle."


End file.
